Lockable tether and dividable tetherette assemblage

ABSTRACT

To prevent the theft or removal of parked or support-mounted movable property items, an elongated flexible tether is provided which is frictionally adjustably associated with a lock body arranged to lockably, releasably engage a freeable end portion of said tether to secure the latter in an adjusted looped or wrapped arrangement about a support. Associated in looped condition with the main tether are one or more relatively short tetherettes. A tetherette carries an adjustable loop divider which permits each divided section of the looped tetherette to tightly receive related but different classes of property items to prevent unauthorized removal of the same.

United States Patent [191 Foote [4 1 Oct. 1,1974v LOCKABLE TETHER AND DIVIDABLE TETHERETT E ASSEMBLAGE [75] Inventor: Daniel J. Foote, Milwaukee, Wis.

[73] Assignee: Master Lock Company, Milwaukee,

Wis.

[22] Filed: July 9, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 377,263

[52] US. Cl. 70/18, 70/58 [51] Int. Cl E05b 73/00 [58] Field of Search 70/15, 18, 57, 58, 14, 70/30, 49; 280/1137 K, 11.37 A, 11.37 C; 21 1/60 SK [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,091,011 5/1963 Campbell 70/58 X 3,643,810 2/1972 Highberger 211/60 SK 3,739,607 6/1973 Smedley 70/18 I 3,754,420 8/1973 Oellerich 70/58 Primary ExaminerRobert L. Wolfe Attorney, Agent, or FirmCurtis B. Morsell, Sr.

[57] ABSTRACT To prevent the theft or removal of parked or supportmounted movable property items, an elongated flexible tether is provided which is frictionally adjustably associated with a lock body arranged to lockably, releasably engage a freeable end portion of said tether to secure the latter in an adjusted looped or wrapped arrangement about a support. Associated in looped condition with the main tether are one or more relatively short tetherettes. A tetherette carries an adjustable loop divider which permits each divided section of the looped tetherette to tightly receive related but different classes of property items to prevent unauthorized removal of the same.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures LOCKABLE TETHER AND DIVIDABLE TETHERETTE ASSEMBLAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND SUMMARY THEREOF A primary object of the present invention is to provide a readily portable and manipulatable lockable assemblage for tethering movable property items to a support or fixture with the main, lockable tether being looped or wrapped about a support and adjustably carrying in looped condition a tetherette which is fitted with an adjustable divider whereby the interior of the looped tetherette may securely and tightly receive related or different classes of separated items. Thus, with the main tether being locked in looped condition to a support, the sections of the looped tetherette may tightly receive in one section a pair of skis, for instance, and in the other section accessories such as ski poles, maintaining the same against unauthorized removal until the looped main tether is unlocked and released and the tetherette is disengaged at one end, at least from the main tether and unloope d to permit removal of the items held therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a lockable tether and tetherette assemblage an adjustable loop divider carried by the tetherette and formed with a lug which will forcefully contact the items in one of the tetherette loop sections and prevent the loop divider from being unduly canted by a tamperer in an unauthorized effort to distort either of the loop sections in an attempt to release and remove the items therefrom.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a tether assemblage of the character described which, when not in use, may be worn b elt like around the waist of the bearer, with one or more tetherettes depended therefrom, with the tether lock member being susceptible of ready viewing and operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lockable tether and dividable tetherette assemblage which is portable, which may be readily applied to various types of movable property items to secure the same to a support, which is easy to operate, which is strong and durable and provides maximum protection, which is relatively inexpensive, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

Applicant is not aware 'of any prior art wherein lockable tether assemblages include tether carried tetherettes equipped with adjustable loop dividers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawing wherein the same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the improved lockable tether and dividable tetherette assemblage with the main tether looped about a support, shown in section, and secured in looped condition by a permutation lock, therebeing a broken line showing of the freeable end portion of the main tether as released from the lock, the looped tetherette adjustably carried by the main tether being divided by its adjustable loop divider into a pair of adjacent sections which, in the embodiment shown, tightly embrace a pair of skis and ski poles, the skis and poles being shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the end portions of the tetherette showing the complementary fittings carried thereby;

FIG. 3 is a front and end perspective view of the loop divider for the tetherette; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view on a reduced scale showing a typical pair of skis and their accompanying poles clamped in the divided sections of the tetherette with the main tether being looped and locked about a portion of a support or ski rack.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Generally speaking, the improved lockable tether and dividable tetherette assemblage includes an elongated main tether 11 which adjustably carries a readily accessible permutation lock 12 and the latter is arranged to lockably releasably receive the inserted capped end portion 13 of the main tether; and a tetherette 14 whose opposite ends can be secured together so as to be adjustably carried by the main tether 11 in looped condition, with the looped tetherette.

being fitted with a loop divider 15 which is of particular importance in respect to the present invention.

FIGS. 1 and 4 illustrate one use of the assemblage wherein a pair of skis l6 and their accompanying poles 17 are separately received in divided sections 21 and 22 of the looped tetherette 14 with the latter being engaged by the main tether 11 which in turn is looped about and is lockingly engaged with a supporting element 18 or a convenient portion of a ski rack. This is merely one example of the use to which the assemblage may be put. Obviously, the assemblage is susceptible of useage for the protection of many varieties of movable property items, and their accessories.

The main tether 11, adapted to frictionally adjustably carry said permutation lock 12, is formed with a longitudinal bore through its base portion. An end portion of the main tether 11 is threaded into the lock body bore before the application to said main tether end portion of a shouldered cap 19. The lock 12 may be frictionally adjusted onto any desired portion of the main tether l1 and it will remain in its adjusted position. The shouldered cap 19 after being applied to the protruding inserted end portion of the main tether ll restrains removal of the tether from the lock because said cap 19 is of greater diameter than the adjacent end of the bore in the lock body. The other end portion of the tether 11 is a freeable end portion and the previously mentioned cap or fitting 13 applied to the freeable end portion of the main tether is removably insertable into an opening therefor in the body of the lock 12 and may be releasably locked therein by mechanism (not shown) which may be controlled by proper operation of a graduated dial 20. The dial 20 is relatively large and is arranged for easy finger engagement by the operator. In general the construction, arrangement, and operation of the dialing mechanism within the permutation lock 12 is substantially similar to that described in the Soref and Marshall US. Pat. No. 2,169,907.

The overall length of the tetherette 14 must be care 7 fully predetermined in relation to the breadth of the items which are to be secured in the loop sections 21 and 22 after the tetherette is arranged, as-in FIG. 1', allowance also being provided for thebreadth of the divider 15. Thus, if the assemblage is to be used for the securement of a pair of skis 16 and accompanying poles 17 the length of the tetherette should be such that when it is doubled back on itself the section 22 should snugly receive the skis with the boss end 23 of the divider abutting edge portions of the skis, and the smaller loop section 21 rather tightly receives the side by side ski poles 17 with a portion of one of the poles being accommodated by the concavity 24 in the face of the divider opposite the boss 23.

At this time it might be mentioned that when the assemblage is arranged as in FIG. 4 the ski poles 17 cannot be pulled longitudinally out of its tetherette loop section 21 because the enlarged conventional fittings at the opposite ends of the ski poles will not pass through the restricted section 21. Also the portions of the tetherette 14 which form the loop section 22 engage the skis 16 intermediate the conventional ski binder brackets and said loop section cannot be distorted sufficiently to permit clearance of said protrusions even if the skis are subjected to a forceful longitudinal pull. To

minimize the possibility of a tamperer distorting the article receiving loop sections 21 8t 22 of the tetherette the previously mentioned loop divider 15 is formed with the boss or lug 23 which tightly abuts the edges of the skis 16 or other confined articles. The adjacent item 17 in the other loop section 21 lodges in the divider concavity 24. It will be apparent from FIG. 1 that the loop section divider 15 is tightly wedged between the solid articles in the respective sections 21 & 22. If force is applied to the divider 15 in an unauthorized effort to cant the divider and distort portions of the tetherette for temporarily stretching either or both loop sections for the removal of the items therefrom, such effort will be ineffectual as the outer end of the boss 23 will roll on the ski edges and the divider will roll on the engaged item 17, eliminating the effective distortion of the loop sections.

The loop divider 15, illustrated in detail in FIG. 3 is shaped as shown and is of greater length than the distance between the spaced sides of the looped tetherette 14. In addition to the concavity 24 and the opposite boss or lug 23 said member 15 is formed with a pair of suitably spaced transverse bores 26. When the tetherette 14 is-folded upon itself and before the application of fittings27 and 28, later to be described, to its opposite end portions, different stretches of the tetherette are threaded through said divider bores 26 so that the divider is carried by and is longitudinally adjustable on the looped tetherette to regulate the lengths of the several sections 21 and 22.

The fitting 27 permanently applied to one end portion of the tetherette 14 includes an enlarged outer end 29 with an ovate opening 30 therein. Said opening 30 is sufficiently large to permit the passage therethrough of the hooked outer end portion 31 of the fitting 28. The latter is permanently applied to the other end portion of the tetherette 14 and said fitting portion 31 includes a circular opening 32 of a size to receive a stretch of the main tether 11 and a hooking recess or concavity 33. When the assemblage is arranged as in FIGS. 1 and 4 the hooked outer end of the tetherette fitting 28 is passed through the ovate opening 30 in the hooked portion of the fitting 28. Thus, the end portions of the looped tetherette are held together to provide a loop whose sections 21 & 22 are variable as to size through adjustment along the stretches of the tetherette of the divider 15. When the capped end 13 of the main tether 11 is released from the lock body 12 the main tether 11 may be threaded through the circular opening 32 in the tetherette fitting 28, permitting the looped tetherette to be carried on a selected portion of the main tether and it cannot be removed therefrom as long as the end portion 13 of the main tether remains locked within the lock body. all as is clearly shown in FIG. 1.

The manner in which skis or the like and their accessories may be lockingly tethered to a rack or support is, of course, susceptible of many variations over that depicted in FIGS. 1 and 4. For instance. a plural number of sets of skis or poles belonging to a single family or group may be locked to a support by an elongated main tether 11 carrying a plural number of tetherettes 14, one of which wrappingly engages each pair of skis and poles of each member of the group. All of the skis and poles of the group are thus under the control of a single lock 12 carried by the main tether 11. Or. each pair of skis and its accessories (poles) could be guarded by an encircling tetherette 14 with the engaged end fittings 27 and 28 of each tetherette being locked by a padlock whose shackle is passed through a fitting aperture 32. The locked shackles of all of the padlocks will then have threaded therethrough the main tether 11 which is looped and locked about a support. Thus. the owner of any pair of skis and poles of the group could release and obtain the same without releasing any of the other sets.

When the assemblage is not being used the main tether with the depending tetherette may be worn about the waist of the owner. The dial 20 of the lock member 12 is handy for ready manipulation. The assemblage may also be used to protect other property items such as office equipment. accessories in hotel rooms and public places, for garage and shed stored movable items, and for marine equipment including boat oars, motors, etc.

The assemblage is free of manufacturing and operational complications, is easy to engage with related property items and a support, is portable and susceptible of each relocation, will not be affected by weather, and which is furthermore well adapted for the purposes described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. In combination: an elongated main tether; a lock member carried by the main tether and having means for releasably lockingly receiving one end portion of said main tether to hold the main tether in looped condition; a tetherette adjustably carried in looped condition by said main tether; and a loop divider carried by said tetherette to divide its interior into a pair of separate sections.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the loop divider is adjustably carried by said tetherette to divide the interior of the latter into a pair of variable size sections.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the lock member and the main tether are relatively adjustable.

4. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the loop divider is provided with a pair of spacedapart bores through which opposed stretches of the looped tetherette are threaded so that the loop divider is adjustable on said tetherette to divide the interior of the latter into a pair of variable size sections.

5. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said divider has a portion which traverses the opposite stretches of the looped tetherette.

6. The combination recited in claim 5 wherein the last-mentioned portion of the divider has affixed to a side portion thereof a wedging boss to enter one of the tetherette sections and wedge against adjacent portions of items extending therewithin.

7. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the opposite end portions of the tetherette are formed with releasable inter-engaging means with an element of the latter being apertured to adjustably receive an extent of the main tether.

8. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the lock member has a bore therethrough through which a which is formed to threadably receive the main tether. 

1. In combination: an elongated main tether; a lock member carried by the main tether and having means for releasably lockingly receiving one end portion of said main tether to hold the main tether in looped condition; a tetherette adjustably carried in looped condition by said main tether; and a loop divider carried by said tetherette to divide its interior into a pair of separate sections.
 2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the loop divider is adjustably carried by said tetherette to divide the interior of the latter into a pair of variable size sections.
 3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the lock member and the main tether are relatively adjustable.
 4. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the loop divider is provided with a pair of spaced-apart bores through which opposed stretches of the looped tetherette are threaded so that the loop divider is adjustable on said tetherette to divide the interior of the latter into a pair of variable size sections.
 5. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said divider has a portion which traverses the opposite stretches of the looped tetherette.
 6. The combination recited in claim 5 wherein the last-mentioned portion of the divider has affixed to a side portion thereof a wedging boss to enter one of the tetherette sections and wedge against adjacent portions of items extending therewithin.
 7. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the opposite end portions of the tetherette are formed with releasable inter-engaging means with an element of the latter being apertured to adjustably receive an extent of the main tether.
 8. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the lock member has a bore therethrough through which a portion of the main tether frictionally adjustably extends.
 9. The combination recited in claim 7 wherein said interengaging means include a fitting on the first end portion of the tetherette having a relatively large opening therein and a hook-shaped fitting on the second end portion of the tetherette extended through the opening in the first-mentioned fitting.
 10. The combination recited in claim 6 wherein the opposite end portions of the tetherette are formed with releasable inter-engaging fittings which, when engaged, retain the tetherette in looped condition and one of which is formed to threadably receive the main tether. 